CMS Resource for the Small Business of Today & Tomorrow

Microsoft v. U.S. or United States v. Microsoft Corporation 253 F.3d 34 (D.C. Cir. 2001), as the case was officially filed, was an antitrust case in the United States initiated by the DOJ (Department of Justice) against the then and arguably the present market leader in personal computers and operating systems. Microsoft Corporation was accused of monopolistic practices, effectively creating an anticompetitive environment that led to clear discrimination against third party internet browsers, to an extent of creating a barrier for entry.

Microsoft Windows, the most popular operating system in the world, was preloaded with Internet Explorer at the time and users could access the default browser to surf the internet. There were other browsers available then, such as Opera and Netscape Navigator, that people could not access because they had to be purchased separately or they had to be downloaded which took a lot of time because of the prevailing internet speed. The Department of Justice argued that the practice of Microsoft was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The case was eventually settled.

The primary focus of the plaintiffs was that Microsoft was using its market leading position to create a monopoly by not allowing other browsers to be loaded on personal computers running on Intel processors. In the nineties and earlier, internet browsers were not free as today. They had to be purchased and Microsoft started offering Internet Explorer for free or within the operating system for no additional charge, thereby rendering the whole possibility of anyone buying a browser a nonstarter. Effectively, Microsoft was killing a fledgling segment of a major industry and preventing technological innovation.

The case has been widely debated over the years with popular voices in favor and against the action of the justice department. Many people argue that Microsoft did not commit any crime or even practice monopoly since the internet browser was an inherent need of the consumers. It was in fact the consumers who expected the browser to be preloaded with the operating system and Microsoft merely delivered the same. However, critics of the practice argue that Microsoft should have allowed third party browsers on its system just as its browser was allowed on Mac or Apple computers. This is where Microsoft lost its argument that the internet browser was an inseparable part of the operating system. Internet Explorer did not need Windows to run as was evident in Mac or Apple computers. Hence, the browser and the operating system were not the same or conjoined products.

Microsoft has been accused of monopolistic practices time and again, most notably for its rebates to original equipment manufacturers that prevented them from working with startups or new players. Such practices are still rampant and it is not just Microsoft. Many cite the fact that Microsoft did not really change its ways so the whole purpose of the case was effectively futile to begin with or that it did not accomplish anything substantial. Some people feared that the case would set a precedent for increased governmental regulation in information technology, computers and internet but such has not been the case.

Small businesses today are under extreme pressure to compete in a landscape that most of them never expected to have to compete in. Traditionally, local small business’s competed only in the local area.

Today, these same “mom and pop” kinds of shops, small shops that catered to people in a single town, or maybe a handful of towns in any area – and very rarely an entire state.

Few of them were established to compete on a national scale let alone an international scale, but that’s exactly what small business owners today have found themselves having to handle.

Easily, the Internet has completely transformed just about all of the “rules” of small business, and today it just isn’t enough to compete for a small amount of business in a local area. With everyone having the opportunity to leverage the power of the Internet to create a global business in mere moments, small businesses all over the world are facing stiff competition – but also have a lot of advantages and leverage that they can tap into.

If you’re going to build out a web presence to capitalize on these advantages and this leverage, you’re going to want to make sure that you are doing so with a Content Management System.

Here is why.

What is a Content Management System (CMS)?

Content Management Systems (CMS) differ from traditional websites in a variety of different ways, but only “below the surface”.

You see, the traditional HTML plus CSS website, a static website, is no longer the industry standard – but instead the exception. The overwhelming majority of websites built today are built on the back of a CMS (some of which we are going to outline in just a moment), and it’s easy to see why.

The right CMS is going to provide you with a backend of powerful website design and development tools that you wouldn’t have had access to without years and years of experience in the web design and development world. You’ll be able to rapidly deploy a new website, overhaul and redesign your website effortlessly, and take advantage of advanced website technologies without any trouble at all.

The advantages are off the chart!

What are the advantages of a CMS for small businesses?

Speed of development and design is definitely the biggest advantage you’re going to be able to leverage when you use a CMS for your small business.

Rather than having to learn HTML and CSS all on your own (or spending a few hundred dollars to get little more than a digital business card thrown up online), you’re going to want to leverage a CMS to handle all of the web design and development for you with its built in tools.

This gives you a professional appearing website in just moments, while at the same time allowing you to modify almost every single detail of said website without having to know any technical information at all. For professionals such as Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, etc., these web content management systems have made running a business much easier. Instead of focusing on a website, these professionals can focus on what’s important: the actual work at. Some still rely on professionals to work the websites, but the fact that these CMS systems are so readily available makes professional web designer’s charges cheaper..

On top of that, you’re going to have the flexibility to completely transform your website, upload your content and multimedia, and even redesign your site the ground up in just a few moments thanks to the power and reach of all these tools.

The right CMS is a lot like having a full-blown web design and development team working for you 24/7, all without you having to spend a penny!

What are some of the best CMS platforms for small businesses out there today?

There are a handful of top-tier Content Management Systems on the market today, with the very best of the bunch offered 100% free of charge.

The most popular CMS of them all would have to be WordPress. It is currently responsible for the foundation of hundreds of millions of websites all over the world, is constantly being developed and upgraded, and is available for everyone and anyone to use 100% free of charge.

Two more incredibly popular CMS platforms are Joomla! and Drupal. Both of these are incredibly flexible, both are incredibly powerful, and both are going to offer you the ability to totally transform and overhaul your web platform with little to no extra effort. They are a little bit more challenging to understand the in WordPress, but the feature set that they offer is even more robust. They are both also 100% free of charge.

At the end of the day, you’ll have a bunch of different options to choose from when it’s time to select a CMS for your small business. Whether you go with one of the ones that we mentioned above or have a web design and development firm create one for you from scratch makes no difference – the important thing is that you leverage this advanced technology to improve your web presence considerably.

It levels the playing field for small businesses and gives them a big boost across the board!

We live in the middle of the most competitive business environment in human history.

Never before has everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) had the opportunity to start their very own global business with nothing more than a laptop and an Internet connection. As a smart and savvy business owner you are going too be besieged by competition that already exists, and there is always going to be more competition pouring into your market on a day to day basis – all because the traditional business barriers to entry have been all but eliminated.

Thankfully though, you also have a lot of advantages that comes with competing through the power of the Internet. This is especially true if you take advantage of tools like Content Management Systems (CMS), packages of online software that allow you to flexibly create and adapt to your own online site – your own online real estate – without having to know really anything about the technical side of web development or design.

Savvy entrepreneurs, marketers, and business people all over the world are abandoning static HTML websites to take advantage of the leverage that CMS solutions provide. If you’re interested in building the kind of business online that can guarantee your financial future, you’d have the to be at least a little bit crazy not to see if there is a CMS out there that can help you out.

Understanding everything that Content Management Systems bring to the table

Even though the “end result” of everything that a CMS offers is going to look a lot like everything that a traditional HTML plus CSS website delivers, it’s the underlying foundation and the actual structure of your web platform that is going to look completely different.

While static HTML plus CSS websites are nothing more than rendered digital code, CMS tools are full-fledged applications that “live” online – allowing you to adjust, update, and overhaul every detail of your site without you having to understand how to program, how to develop cool or how to handle the more technological issues of modern websites.

Content Management Systems also help to separate the content of your website (your media, your information, your blog posts, etc.) from the design and “tech” side of your site, allowing you to completely change the way your site looks, feels, and operates without having to scrap everything and start from scratch all over again.

The big benefits of Content Management Systems

As mentioned above, CMS platforms are divided into two specific areas – the “front-end” – the actual website that your visitors are going to interact with, and the “backend” – the development, administrative, and design tools that only you and a handful of authorized users will have the opportunity to leverage.

This set up presents you with a number of significant advantages.

For starters, you’re going to be able to upload and modify all of the content on your website or your web platform on the fly and all on your own – all without having to pay some tech expert to handle it for you. This is because you’re going to have access to tools that are so simple and straightforward that anyone can use them, rather than having to modify code.

Secondly, you’re going to be able to completely transform the way that your website looks, the way that your website operates, and the way that your visitors navigate or use your site all without having to mess with the content. This makes rapid redesigns and overhauls effortless, really opening up a lot of flexibility that you wouldn’t have been able to enjoy otherwise.

Finally, using a CMS gives you the chance to create a website – a professional looking website – in mere seconds. This gives you the opportunity to get up and running in the middle of the most competitive business environment in human history with absolutely no delay whatsoever. When speed is of the essence, you need to be certain that you are prepared to adapt flexibly on-the-fly, and a CMS allows you to do exactly that.

Obviously, there are other advantages that CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, and more have to offer, but the bottom line is that you to have to be a little bit crazy not to take advantage of them when you have the chance to! The opportunity is something that past generations could only dream of.